Convince me that God is loving

[Trailblazer]

You almost sound like an atheist now

I'm closer than you think.

 

[Trailblazer]

We often overlook the triumphant human experience that Jesus had.

I don't overlook that, but Jesus was not God.

 

[Trailblazer]

..and Almighty God is Forgiving and Merciful.

I sure hope so, even if there is no proof of that.
Otherwise I am going to be in the dog house.

There are reasons why I am willing to believe that God is Forgiving and Merciful, but question whether He is Loving.

 

[Trailblazer]

I believe this is it:
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

I said:
Convince me that God is loving without referring to scriptures that say that.

 

[Trailblazer]

I believe when you get love from me you are getting it from God.

I absolutely don't believe that. Why should God get the credit for what humans do?
Meanwhile, God is not doing jack squat.

 

[Colt]

Do you have any proof of that, or is it just a belief?

Just faith.

 

[Trailblazer]

There is no logical entailment that God must be loving. Assuming we have a clear cut definition of what "loving" means.

A hating God. Or a God Who does not care, are equally plausible.

For this reason, the arbitrary attribute of "loving" people label God with, appear to be more like an instance of wishful thinking, than the product of logical inference.

Ciao

- viole

I could not have said that better myself.
I tend to be a logic-based thinker rather than a faith-based thinker.

 

[Colt]

I don't overlook that, but Jesus was not God.

Both human and divine, Jesus is the Son of God and creator of this world. His Father is the unseen Universal Father who's unpersonified spirit is within us. Jesus often referred to God as his Father. The Jews didn't like that. After Jesus returned to heaven his spirit was poured out upon all flesh, so we have both Father and Son available to us in spirit.

 

[Trailblazer]

Please, and everyone. This kind of response is useless to someone who is (I think) depressed. No kind of "cheer up" response will help. Just listen and be kind.

I am not clinically depressed, just a little down in the dumps, but thanks for your sentiments. As usual, it is the atheists who pick up my mood. Believers usually only make me feel worse, since they make me feel guilty for not believing what I am supposed to believe.

 

[Trailblazer]

Both human and divine, Jesus is the Son of God and creator of this world. His Father is the unseen Universal Father who's unpersonified spirit is within us. Jesus often referred to God as his Father. The Jews didn't like that. After Jesus returned to heaven his spirit was poured out upon all flesh, so we have both Father and Son available to us in spirit.

Jesus is both human and divine, the Son of God, but God is the creator of this world.

 

[Colt]

Jesus is both human and divine, the Son of God, but God is the creator of this world.

The Father delegates creative powers and authority to subordinate deities or Sons. They are all God.

The creators of the local systems and planets are the Fathers of their respective creation's. The Universal Father is really like our grandfather.


Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

 

[Trailblazer]

You have never experienced God's love?

No, I cannot say that I have.

Even through all my struggle in life I have experienced so much of God's blessings that I really can't doubt his love.
And he's spared my life more than once.

I can believe in God's blessings but what is it necessary to call it love?
Only because scriptures say it is love.

 

[Trailblazer]

Then she can think her life isn't a gift.

If it is a gift, the gift was given by my parents who created my life ,so I would have them to thank, not God

 

[Trailblazer]

A depressed person is not helped by that. All she can feel is the oppressive weight of her mood. Also don't relate stories of how you went through similar things and survived. It won't help. And don't say "I know how you feel". You don't.

I'm sorry, I'm not picking on anyone here, but I'm seeing suicidal ideation and I'm very worried. Sorry to talk about you as if you weren't here @Trailblazer. Please respond to my PM.

Don't worry, there is no suicidal ideation. I have had suicidal ideation before so I know what that feels like.
This is just a down in the dumps feeling, not knowing where my life is going to go, if it is ever going to get better.

 

[Jimmy]

If it is a gift, the gift was given by my parents who created my life ,so I would have them to thank, not God

So then thank them.

 

[Koldo]

Convince me that God is loving without referring to scriptures that say that.

Tell me why I should believe that God is loving.

I cannot believe God is loving since it makes no sense to me that there would be so much suffering in the world if God was loving. I am referring to suffering that cannot be tied any free will decision of the person who suffers.

I do not want to hear any religious apologetics about how suffering is for our own good. We all know that there is a lot of gratuitous suffering in the world, suffering that serves no purpose.

A person who loves someone does things to show that they love that person, and they make sacrifices for the other person. If a man tells me he loves me but does nothing to show it, why would I believe him?

What does God do to show He loves us? What sacrifices does God make?

I see no evidence that God is loving, so I have to write that off as a faith-based belief.

P.S. Whether we should love God or not is another discussion. In principle, I think we should love God and other people without expectation of getting anything in return. I do not need God’s love in order to love God. I do not need love from anyone in order to love that person because I consider that selfish.

Christians and Baha’s believe that God is loving, and I think there is a reason for that, other than what their scriptures say. Imo, they have to believe God is loving because they need to feel loved by God in order to love God. I have no idea why since I do not need God’s love in order to love God. The reason I want to know if God is loving is because I am tired of religious people saying that God is loving with nothing but scriptures to back that up.

Your request is extremely hard for a simple reason: Believing in God pretty much demands to believe in what the scriptures say (or the priesthood) or having a personal experience. The whole set of attributes depends on that, including being loving.

If we look at the world itself the farthest we can get without resorting to scriptures is a deist god (a god that created the universe and does/did nothing else) and some kind of spirit beings (responsible for the unexplained supernatural events), depending on whether you find those to be the best explanations to the existence of the universe and the so claimed supernatural events.

 

[Exaltist Ethan]

Please, and everyone. This kind of response is useless to someone who is (I think) depressed. No kind of "cheer up" response will help. Just listen and be kind.

Why is she posting her depression on RF if she doesn't want any replies trying to help her feel better? Is she just trying to make us all miserable? All it's really doing is making me frustrated at her. Which is not helping either of us.

 

[Truthseeker]

It seems "God is Love" can't be proven
with or without Scriptures
to another person.

And that is kind of obvious to me

It depends on the person. If the person believes in the scripture you are citing, he/she may be convinced. The person also has to have the faculty of faith along with reason. Susan did not grow up in a family where religion is involved, and she has a problem with faith.

 

[Trailblazer]

So then thank them.

I can't do that now because they are both deceased.

 

[Jimmy]

I can't do that now because they are both deceased.

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[Truthseeker]

I am so sick of talking about this. I wish I could become an atheist right now and then I would not have to think about whether God is loving anymore. Who cares? Only you, and other people who need to feel loved by God. That seems selfish to be which is probably why I am offended by it.

You are sick of talking about it, then start a thread about this??? This is a good way to have me and others talk to you about it.

 

[Trailblazer]

Your request is extremely hard for a simple reason: Believing in God pretty much demands to believe in what the scriptures say (or the priesthood) or having a personal experience. The whole set of attributes depends on that, including being loving.

That is absolutely correct. People believe that God is loving because the scriptures say that and/or because of personal experiences they have had that they attribute to God.

There is no proof that God is loving, it is only a belief.